Interview with Christopher
First of all, tell me your activities after releasing the mighty "Orthodox" in 1998.
Christopher- We have played a lot of shows and we toured with MASTER and MALEVOLENT CREATION. In the end 99 we had a lot of personal problems and we had some changes in the line-up
Probably, you've asked it before, about the recent replacement, from Bruno to Paul Speckman.
Christopher- As I told, we have had a lot of troubles and this things have to be. We had spoken with Paul about it and he decided to stay with us here in the Czech Republic. I guess that everything is good for us now.
Why Bruno left the band? Some people could still not realize that you two guys, who had elaborated for the band together since the early days, parted away. I heard he started a new band with an ex-Krabathor guy...
Christopher- We have had problems between me and Bruno and we can't stay together anymore. I guess that we have done good things because we, me and Bruno, have had different ideas, and for both us, it is better that we have split-up. I know we have been together for a long time, but maybe it was the reason why we decided to be each alone. Yes he has the new band and some people who have worked with us in the past help him.
How did you get to know Paul? Why did you decide to accept him in your band? Was it difficult to find any good musician in your country? Is Paul also going to take vocal parts?
Christopher- We have toured together, and on this tour we have decided to do something together, some projects. We have done a band called MARTYR and it will be out very soon through System Shock from Germany. I gave him my offer for Krabathor and he movied to the Czech Republic. He will be singing with me too.
Is Paul planning to move to Czech? What happened or will happen to his bands in the U.S., MASTER and others ?
Christopher- As I told, he is already here and he likes livining here. he would like to keep MASTER going, and of course, we will help him.
So now Krabathor are, you, Chrostopher on Guitars & Vocals, Paul on Bass & Vocals , and Skull on Drums. Tell me about Skull's musical background.
Christopher- He is a good drummer, he can play good stuff. Some time he is crazy but he is good. Some time you have to speak with him, you will know more things about him.
Tell me about your bio. Krabathor was found by you in 1984, right?
Christopher- Yes, we have started in 1984 by myself and two friends of mine. In the past we have had hard time with our music but time to time we have done some steps. In 1988 we had recorded demo tapes called "Breath of Death", "Total Destruction" and "Brutal Death". Than later we had done a demo tape, "Feelings of Dethronisation" in1991. We had signed with a Czech label called MONITOR and we had released "Only our Death is Welcome" 92 and "Cool Mortification"93 CD. Then we have signed with Morbid records and we have released "Lies"95, "Mortal Memories" MCD 97, "Orthodox" 98, and recently, re-released the CD's from 92+93 as a double CD.
What the meaning of "Krabathor"? Where did you quote the word "Krabathor"?
Christopher- Krabathor is just the game of the words. In the past we saw one movie in the TV, and there was a medicine man called Krabath and we have used it for our band.
Who and what bands were your heroes when you started to play? Tell me about the metal (rock) scene in Czech when you were young.
Christopher - When we started we had been influenced by the bands such as VENOM , CELTIC FROST, POSSESSED, KREATOR, DESTRUCTION and a lot of others. We had listened Heavy Metal bands such as ACCEPT, SCORPIONS, MANOWAR, IRON MAIDEN...and a lot of others. In the past, bands had a little bit problems with kind of the music, brutal bands were a little bit forbidden. But in that time here were existing bands which had played this brutal stuff. Gigs of the bands hadn't been held so often, but gigs had been visited by a lot of fans and people who had supported bands and the scene.
We know, your country was under communism when you started to play. As for playing in a band, tell me your some biggest difficulties that you remember. Did being sent to the army affect the band's activities and your mentality a lot?
Christopher- Everything with the kind of music we played was a little bit forbidden, but it seemed strange. As I told you, gigs weren't held so often but these gigs had visited by a lot of people. For example, on 17th of November, 1988, we played our first gig at the DEATH METAL SESSION festival in Prague -Czech Republic and we played in front of 1500 people. Bands didn't have possibility of recording something, like CD's. Bands did demo tapes but almost every band had recorded them in their rehearsal rooms. After the falling of the old gavernment, everything started to be chnged.
Working for the army was a very bad thing in my life. I had to stop the band for some time and I didn't like to be in the army, because it was agaisnt my meaning about the life. I'm lucky that now I don't need to care about things like that. I'm free and I can do what I like.
You released the first two albums from Monitor Records in Czech, and then moved to Morbid Records in Germany. Why did you choose Morbid? So far, it seems that you have received proper support by Morbid. Are you satisfied with Morbid?
Christopher- We had done three songs for a promo tape and we had spreaded it over labels. We got some other offers from other labels too. We decided Morbid Records. Morbid Records gave us an offer and we agreeed with them. We have signed them and they have helped us well for the promotion and distribution. They are doing good work to support the band.
Do you have any side bands other than Krabathor?
Christopher- In November 1999, we worked with Paul Speckmann on the project called MARTYR. It will be out through System Shock from Germany.In those days we had troubles in our line up too and we gave offer to Paul for joining Krabathor and he decided to be with us.
Who mainly composed Krabathor's music before? Music? Lyrics?
Christopher- In the past, it was the works of me and Bruno, half and half. Now I will work with Paul.
What do you describe your music by yourself? What elements are important in your music?
Christopher- I have to have good feeling from my music . THis is important for me. I would like to tell something through my music. I would like to leave something here when time passed. In the music, you can do what you like. You can crying, you can flying, you can be sad or angry...this is good.
As for your lyrics, I think, it seems that you are trying to describe psychological aspects of human beings (sometimes it could seem political...) rather than just getting gore... This point is different from many other Death Metal band. Do you agree with me?
Christopher- Yes, this is probably different from a lot of bands. As you told, I like doing something about the meaning and about the feeling and mind of the people. I don't like if someone tells that we are just a politic band. We have used a lot of things around us. Something about politic things, something about religions, something about things we don't like, something about the people and something about the live.
Now, you are probably writing some materials for the new album. Tell me the detail of it, if you can. What is it going to be like? Is Paul contributing to composing music?
Christopher - We are working on new stuff. It will be still in the Death Metal veins. We like this kind of the music and for us is it like our place for creating of the music. Of course, Paul will cooperate with creating of the music, here in our band everyone has a free place for creating. We aren't the band just for one person, we are the band of musicans.
Finally, tell me anything that you know from Japan. You have probably been told from Ritual Carnage...
Christopher- Of course, I have heard a lot of things about Japan but it will be better to see it through my own eyes. We will play three gigs there and I hope people will come to visit us and support us.
What do you expect from your coming Japanese tour?
Christopher- A lot of fans and great gigs. We are looking forward!!!
Give us, Japanese fans, a message from you!!!
Christopher- Support the U/G and the hard kind of music. I know music is just good or bad still here and it is a lot of power. I hope our fans will support us and as I told come to visit us on one from our those gigs in Japan. Of course bands RITUAL CARNAGE and DEFILED which will play with us too.
THANK YOU!!
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KRABATHOR Official Homepage
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KRABATHOR European Tour 2000
25.03.2000 AUSTRIA-Vienna
31.03.2000 JAPAN-Mito city
01.04.2000 JAPAN-Tokyo
02.04.2000 JAPAN-Kofu city
13.04.2000 POLAND
14.04.2000 POLAND
15.04.2000 POLAND
16.04.2000 POLAND
17.04.2000 POLAND
20.04.2000 SLOVAKIA-Bratislava
21.04.2000 CZECH REPUBLIC-Ostrava-T.N.T. Club
22.04.2000 CZECH REPUBLIC-Diein-Harold club(Kokos)
23.04.2000 GERMANY-Halle
24.04.2000 GERMANY-Cottbus
25.04.2000 GERMANY-Rostok
26.04.2000 GERMANY-Hannover
27.04.2000 GERMANY-Wermelskirchen-Bahndamm
28.04.2000 HOLLAND
29.04.2000 HOLLAND
30.04.2000 HOLLAND
01.05.2000 BELGIUM-Waregem-Steeple
02.05.2000 GERMANY-Berholzheim
03.05.2000 GERMANY-Neumarkt
05.05.2000 SWITZERLAND-Will
06.05.2000 SWITZERLAND-Zurich
07.05.2000 AUSTRIA
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